Why baptize a child?
From the Christian point of view, there is only one reason for the adoption of the Sacrament of Baptism - true faith. All other motives here can, at best, accompany, but not replace it. For example, it is unacceptable to baptize a child for the sake of fashion or at the insistence of relatives, if the parents themselves are not ready for this step.
Choosing a name for baptism
The Russian Orthodox Church gives the newly baptized the names of already glorified saints. This is done so that a small Christian has his own prayer book and intercessor in the face of God. Often even before the baptism, the name of the newborn is chosen and its availability is checked by Orthodox saints.
But sometimes it happens that parents are too chasing after the originality and choose a name for the kid that is not and never was in the church calendar. Here already it is necessary to consult the confessor and to pick up the Orthodox name, suitable according to consonance and in meaning. Usually chosen is that heavenly patron whose memory is celebrated shortly after the birthday of a small Christian.
This day is celebrated in a special way. It is called "Name Day". Parents should definitely confess and take communion on this day, in order to witness their unity with the Church.
Choosing Godparents
You can not choose kulaks for anything, according to their generosity, social position or pleasantness during the feast. Remember that the main task of the godparents will be to pray for the child, trying to raise him in the Orthodox faith. The godfather itself needs to be deeply religious and responsible people for this.
For the proper or unworthy performance of their duties, they will, according to the Bible, respond to God no less than for their own children. If the godparents or parents have a lack of knowledge in the Orthodox education of the child, they must necessarily come to a conversation with the priest.
The practice of publicizing conversations has long been part of the Orthodox Church and has become almost an obligatory part of the preparation for the rite of baptism. Therefore, one must be prepared for the fact that the godparents or native parents will be invited several times to the church to talk about the foundations of the Orthodox faith.
From this it follows that it is impossible to choose unbaptized, atheists, followers of another religion and Christian confession. It is not customary to baptize the same child with spouses. However, this is an ambiguous moment.
Often the role of godfathers is chosen by close relatives who live at the other end of the country. They rarely visit a child, even a christening can sometimes come only for one day. Making such a choice, think: how can such parents bring up your child?
There are also a lot of superstitions around the choice of the cronies, most of which are not based on anything. The Church does not forbid the unmarried girl to baptize the girl first. There is absolutely nothing wrong with baptizing the children of close friends who are your child's godchildren. At the same time, there is no "splitting". You can be a godfather to any of the relatives of the child, except his own parents.
Just need to keep in mind that the girl is allowed to be a godmother from 13, and the boy - from 15 years. But, according to worldly laws, it is better to choose a godfather of such age that he could match the status of the parent. This will make the real task of educating the godson.
What to bring to church
Depending on the age of the toddler, who will be baptized, bring with them a baptismal shirt or ryazhonku, diaper or towel. Need, of course, and a cross. If you do not plan to purchase it in the temple, then on the eve of baptism it will have to be sanctified. It is important to make sure that the cross is made in accordance with the canons of the Church. If a cross was purchased in a church shop, then nothing should be done with it.
Donations
Any donations, including the temple, given at the performance of the Sacrament, are absolutely voluntary. And the amount, called in the church shop, is exemplary. Therefore, if this amount is unbearable, just go to the abbot, and most likely he will agree to perform the Sacrament free of charge.
But, before doing this, it is worth considering how much the requested donations exceed the cost of the festive table. Remember how often we donate to the temple in everyday life. Then decide, do you consider it necessary to continue the existence of this particular church. It is from your voluntary donations that this existence depends.
In the end, such an event as baptism happens only once in the life of our children. And in the costs of it, all relatives, including cronies, take an active part.
When to get baptized
As a rule, such church rites are performed on Saturday and Sunday. Also on some church holidays. If you need to baptize a child on another day, then you need to negotiate with the priest or the temple employee in advance. This can also be done on the phone of the church where you want to baptize the baby. There are temples in which the Sacraments of baptism are performed every day.
The time of the beginning of the christening is specified in advance during working hours. It is better to come ahead of time to have time to write out a certificate, make a registration for a metric record, choose a cross, etc. Late for the Sacrament is unacceptable! So you will make wait not so much the priest, how many following you wanting to be baptized. And then there can be very small children.
What to do after baptism
Like all rituals, baptism has its own rules. For example, after him, in the near future, you need to receive yourselves and receive the communion of the baby. Children under 7 years of age receive communion without preparation. And more adults need to tell the godparents about how to prepare for Communion. This will always help the workers of the temple.
Remember that baptism is only the beginning of Christian life. Since then, the opportunity has been open to resort to other saving Sacraments of the Church. Use it to save your souls.